


After the Outbreak

by navaan



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Extremis, Ficlet, Flash Fic, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Innuendo, Inspired by Fanart, M/M, Memories, Virus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 19:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11857920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/navaan/pseuds/navaan
Summary: Tony wakes up in a hospital bed





	After the Outbreak

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Ultiron Outbreak](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11743740) by [ranoutofrun](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ranoutofrun/pseuds/ranoutofrun). 



> Fill for Cap IM Tiny Reverse Bang 2017 Round 7: DIRECTOR

Tony woke up in a hospital bed.

"Hey," Steve said slowly and smiled at him. He was wearing his uniform and it was ripped in places and dirty and there was blood on his face and a bruise on his jaw.

A gasp wrenched itself from Tony's chest and he sat up to fast, staring at his hands.

_Steve's back hits the ground and the metal hands close around his throat. "Tony!" he gasps. His eyes are blazing with anger and like the man he is he is not giving up._

_But it's not Tony looking down. It's Ultron - or more specifically the virus that has taken over Tony's body and has rewritten his biology._

_"He can't hear you, Captain. Tony Stark is no longer in control." It's Ultron's voice, not Tony's, but the face... it's a mockery of both of them. Tony's mouth, colored grey like the alloy that makes Ultron's._

_"You know nothing, you stupid machine."_

_There is a cackle. A metallic cackle that is not like Ultron at all. Utron prides himself on not having human emotion._

_"Tony?" he croaks._

"Tony?" 

"I... this..." 

Steve was at his side in a heartbeat, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Are you alright?"

"Am _I_ alright?"

"Yes, are you alright?" Steve looked at him, searching, worried. 

"I nearly killed you."

"Ultron nearly killed all of us." How can Steve be this calm about it? 

" _I_. It was me. I remember."

"What _do_ you remember?"

He reached forward, touched a hand to Steve's jaw, strokes the bruise carefully. Steve winced. Then Tony carefully reached up to push back the mask and Steve helped him. The cowl came off. Steve pulled it back. Tony could see some dark purplish marks just above the neckline and looked away.

"Hey," Steve said. "That wasn't you."

"But I remember doing it."

"Did you _want_ to do it?"

He remembered the horror of being trapped in his own body. He shook his head.

"Do you remember how you came out of it?"

"Out of?"

"Extremis," Steve said. "You overrode the virus."

"I... did?"

"Do you remember me using my shut down code?"

Tony shook his head. 

The last thing he remembered was Steve's angry, red face, staring up at him defiantly. But then it had changed to a grin. _"Tony is stronger and smarter than you, Ultron. He's not going to hurt me. And just like that, Steve had leaned up to press a kiss to the abominations lips._

"Did you kiss me awake?"

"I think it worked." Steve leaned over to bring their brows together. "I'm glad it reached you."

Someone cleared his throat by the door and there was Reed Richards. "His Extremis code is clean."

Steve did move his head to look over and nod, but kept them leaning int each other. "Thank you, Reed."

"Yeah," Tony mumbled against Steve, "thank you."

Steve helped him out of the bed, helped him to put on clothes over the underarm. "I'm still sorry, for giving you all these bruises."

"You can make it up to me, by letting me leave some bruises of my own," Steve said as he ushered him out the door. 

He blinked. "You're kidding?"

"What?" Steve asked, marching him down the corridor at military pace. He knew exactly what he had said too. "Don't you want some better memories to override today's?"

_Strong hands leaving marks on his hips, teeth grazing his shoulder. Steve is lost in the moment and doesn't hold back as he presses Tony down and kisses him, wrists pressed down in the cushions._

Tony, still a little beside himself, still a little afraid that he's going to fall victim to the virus again, secretly already busy running his own check on his systems to make sue there is no hidden surprise lurking in his code or armor, smiles. "I'd like nothing more."


End file.
